on web development

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I was recently looking on the web for a very clear description of what a RESTful resource is. Clear and accurate definitions were few and far between, so I decided I’d write one. What Is a Resource? A resource is: a noun that is unique and can be represented as data and has at least […]

Estimating how long it will take to develop software is difficult. Fortunately, as an industry we’ve moved away from big-planning-up-front, exhaustive Gantt charts and toward a more agile approach. Unfortunately, we’ve stuck with single point estimates which have some significant disadvantages when compared to range estimates.

You just finished some yard work for your eccentric neighbor, Mr. Grimes. He prepares some lemonade for you while you rest at his kitchen table.

“Thank you for your help today,” he says as he places two envelopes on the table in front of you. “Both envelopes contain money. Pick one and you can keep the money inside.” As you reach for one of the envelopes he adds, “One envelope has exactly twice the amount of money as the other.”

You pick one of the envelopes and open it. Inside you find a $20 bill. You are about to pocket the money when Mr. Grimes interjects, “I’ll give you a chance to switch envelopes if you’d like.”

When developing web applications, I frequently switch between iTerm, TextMate, my browser, and my mail client. So I used AppleScript to streamline my task-switching. I’ll show you how I did this in case you’re inspired to streamline your workflow, too.